Kwale Governor Fatuma Achani has urged the security agencies to put more effort into the fight against drug and substance abuse in the region.
Governor Achani says the police in the coastal county should launch sting operations against drug peddlers, suppliers, and notorious drug dealers.
She says drug dealings destroy lives, and the police should be committed to tackling the supply of illegal drugs.
The coastal county boss says her administration is intensifying public campaigns aimed at tackling drug and substance abuse in society.
Achani has said her administration will ratchet up the fight against drug and substance abuse by youth and some adults in the region.
She says the local county leadership has said no to hard drugs and illicit substances and urged the local security chiefs to redouble efforts against drug kingpins supplying banned substances to the youth.
Achani says the rounding up of drug traffickers would help save the youth, many of whom were struggling with drug addiction, especially during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
She was speaking at Kwale Baraza Park during Jamhuri Day celebrations marking 60 years of independence from British colonial rule.
She urged the public to report to the relevant authorities anyone dealing in illicit drugs for action as the devolved government intensifies awareness campaigns against drug abuse.
Achani says it is crucial to make the local youths understand the mental health implications of their actions in abusing illicit drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, kuber, heroin, or amphetamines.
She said her administration will be stepping up the campaign against illicit drugs and other banned substances and called for the active participation of all stakeholders to realise ‘drug-free Kwale’.
The celebrations were attended by the local security teams led by the local County Commissioner, Meru Mwangi, and County Police Commander, Stephen Ngetich.
The governor says the devolved government has set up the Eden House Rehabilitation and Rescue Centre in Diani and the Kombani Methadone Centre.
Achani says many drug addicts are suffering from withdrawal symptoms like body maladies, sickness, and disorders due to prolonged drug use.
She says the two rehab centres, a project by the Kwale County government, have rehabilitated over 700 drug addicts.
Achani says treating addicts and preventing the onset of drug use can complement the local security agencies’ efforts to reduce supply and demand.
“We have the two rehab centres so that those addicts who are rehabilitated will not go back to the menace,” he said, adding that the county government was treating the drug dependency as a public health issue.
She said, “As we continue with the rehabilitation efforts to assist our youth in becoming more productive, we also call upon security agencies to be more vigilant and arrest all the culprits involved in drug trafficking.”
On his part, Meru Mwangi, who is also the chairman of the county security and intelligence committee, said the local security apparatus will not relent on its anti-narcotics operations.
CC Mwangi says the fight against drug pushers will be hardened to deal firmly with the drug menace that threatens to ruin the lives of young people.
He said the all-out war on the drug trade would continue and that drug traffickers and users would be arrested.
“We will not rest until there is not a single drug dealer left in the coastal region,” he warned, calling on the help of the community in this regard.
He said that with the help of the public security agencies, he would be in a position to run drug dealers and other hardcore criminals out of business.
He urged the community to support the security agencies in eradicating the drug menace, saying drug dealers were out to destroy the young generation.
According to the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA), hundreds of youth are addicted to drugs in Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, and Lamu counties, and substance abuse continues to be a challenge for the authorities.
The anti-drug agency says the alarming rate of hard drug use among the youth in the region has assumed a worrisome dimension despite persistent campaigns against the vice.
By Hussein Abdullahi
